Songs for the Savior
by Anne Nonymus
Summary: Hook and Cora arrive in Storybrooke. They part ways with Hook pledging his loyalty to Emma with an unusual offer. As they all prep for war against Cora, Emma is told the entire prophecy, she comes to a startling realization about how she can save everyone. Will finally finding love help her to do what she must, or will it be her downfall?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I think I have a problem. I think I'm slowly being possessed by Captain Swan. And the plot bunnies aren't helping. I can't stop writing about them.**

**Anyway, this is what happens when I listen to Alex Clare and Marie Digby all day. Actually Marie Digby's unfold inspired this chapter. This particular story starts after Queen of Hearts, going AU from there.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time or any of its amazing characters. They belong to Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz, and the ABC network. All I own is my demented dog, and my demented imagination.**

**Unfold**

She looked up at the sky, trying to remember if the stars in the enchanted forest were the same ones she saw above her. She sighed, feeling the weight of regret close in around her as she pulled her cardigan closed with one hand, the other clutching the neck of the bottle of rum she took out to the backyard with her. The vastness of the heavens seemed to reflect how lost she felt in that moment. She couldn't help but think that she was definitely the punch line to some cosmic joke. How else do you explain how she-of all people-turned out to be the prophesied child of the progenitors of "Happily Ever After"? The girl who stole to get by somehow became the Sheriff. The girl who barely trusted anyone, who survived on her own became the one who was supposed to protect a town full of people that should have only existed in bedtime stories.

And yet, despite finally finding a family and having friends-real friends who cared about her and whom she cared about, and living in a place that was finally starting to feel like home, she still felt alone. She would probably always feel alone. The walls that once protected her were now imprisoning her. She knew that she loved her parents and Henry, and that they loved her, but she also knew that they still hadn't come close to touching the deepest, darkest parts of her. The parts that only a certain blue eyed pirate could see into.

"_You're an open book lass._.."

She'd worked so hard to construct impenetrable walls that it nearly shook her to her very foundations when Hook said it. She knew that he was trying to work her, but she wanted to believe it, and that was dangerous.

"_Try something new lass, it's called trust..._"

She was so used to keeping people out, to never letting her guard down that she didn't think she was capable of complete trust anymore. She knew that as Sheriff, the townspeople trusted her to keep them safe and uphold the law, and she did trust Henry to keep her honest and give her faith, and her parents with her life...but that fragile, broken, screwed up, torn up, raggedy thing that was her heart? That remained untouched somewhere behind all of Emma's defenses, buried so deep that even she didn't know how to get to it anymore. She had resigned herself to believing that no one could get to it, that maybe it wasn't worth the effort. Neal had it, tossed it over his shoulder and trampled it under his boot as he left town. There wasn't anyone until Graham who even tried. She was haunted by the feeling that he could've been the one, but at the time it was all too sudden and new, and over before they could even figure out what _it_ was. Even worse was how she was now haunted by a nagging feeling that the kisses they shared weren't so much about any chemistry between them as it was about her being the product of true love. She didn't make him able to start feeling something again, her latent magic did.

"_Not to offend you Emma, but we make quite the team..._"

She was part of a team once before, and had Hook not reminded her of that of how bad her taste in men had been, how her heart had been so badly mistaken before, would she have felt the need to leave him behind? Emma knew that there was no point in pondering the what ifs because the fact of the matter was-he did say it, and she did leave him behind. She wasn't some stupid kid with nothing to lose but her inhibitions and her heart. She was older now, smarter now, and tougher now-thanks to Neal in a very twisted way. For the first time in her life, she had something to fight for, people she couldn't bare to lose because something else became glaringly apparent to her; for all of the bragging she does concerning her "superpower", she does have a kryptonite.

When strong feelings are involved, her superpower becomes useless. She was so in love that she couldn't see that Neal was lying to her and about to betray her. When Graham needed her to take the night shift because he was supposedly volunteering at an animal shelter, she was too blinded by her admiration for him and a growing attraction, she couldn't tell that he was lying to her. When Sydney Glass offered to help her take down Regina as revenge for firing him from The Mirror, she wanted to believe that she finally had an ally that she didn't realize he was playing double agent until she found a bug in the vase of flowers he gave her. With Killian, she couldn't risk him being a double agent for Cora. He was too good looking, too charming, the attraction between them too strong, and he was already poking holes in defenses that she worked so hard to construct. If she gave him her trust as her heart was telling her to do, and she was wrong, she'd not only be devastated, but she would be risking the lives of everyone she knew and loved. It wasn't just that he would leave her, sadly enough she got used to the idea that she isn't the kind of woman that a guy would stick around for. No, it was that he would leave, _and_ betray her to Cora, and in the aftermath take everyone she loves from her. So she left him, and her heart hated her for it.

A cold breeze blew over her face as hot tears fell down her cheeks. She took a swig from the bottle, and felt the rum burn her throat, trickling heat on its way down. She wished that she didn't leave him up in that castle, or at least that she didn't regret it, that she didn't believe him when he told her that he wouldn't have done the same to her, and most of all she wished that it didn't still hurt when he told her he was done with her. That damn book of regrets that she hauled around with her was getting thicker by the moment and she was tired of it weighing her down.

Suddenly, she felt a prickling at the back of her neck, a strange tingling sensation running up and down her spine. She knew then that she wasn't alone, and spun around to see who was with her, almost expecting to find a vengeful pirate. But that was impossible, right?

"Sorry," her mother apologized, a chagrinned look on her face. "I didn't mean to startle you. You'd been out here so long I was starting to get worried."

She tamped down that small flicker of disappointment at not finding the one person who shouldn't have been there anyway, gave Mary Margaret a small smile, and saw the concern in her eyes. Emma felt a warmth bubbling up within her, trying to get used to having that in her life-people who worried about her. She was beginning to accept that her parents would do anything for her, and maybe...just maybe in a way Killian-Hook was right. It was time to try this thing called trust. Who better to trust than your own mother?

"Honey, what's going on? You haven't quite been yourself since you left Hook at the giant's castle. I know that while we were back at the Enchanted Forest you didn't want to talk about it, and I didn't want to push you. Besides, we were trying so hard to evade Cora and get home. But we're back now, and we're safe. Are you ready to tell me what happened?"

Emma took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, bracing herself for a leap of faith. When she opened them again, she saw the ache and resignation in Mary Margaret's eyes. Mary Margaret gave her a sad smile and nodded as she turned to go back into the apartment, but Emma stopped her by grabbing onto her hand and giving it a squeeze.

"I have...no...I _want_ to tell you what happened back there, but first I have to tell you another story so that you can understand why I did what I did. I'm also going to have to ask you not to interrupt because I haven't said anything about this to anyone before, and it's going to be hard as it is...so...please just listen."

Her mother took a breath, and gave an understanding nod. And just this, just knowing that she had someone who cared enough to listen almost had her bawling. Part of her wanted to revert to being a little girl, curl up in her mommy's arms safe and sound, and pretend that nothing could ever hurt her. But she wasn't a kid anymore, and she had managed to survive plenty in her lifetime. She could do this. She could trust her mother with her secrets.

"Henry's father is a man named Neal Cassidy," she began, feeling like she had to shove the words out of her mouth. "He wasn't a firefighter, he didn't die saving a family from a fire. As a matter of fact I have no reason to believe that the bastard is dead."

She was surprised to hear the tremble in her voice. She thought that she was over it, that the feelings of hurt and betrayal she felt every time she thought of him had faded in time, but now she felt as though those old wounds were being torn open. Part of her wanted to stop, wanted to say that it was enough and slam the door shut on those memories. But it wasn't fair to her or her mother. She needed to let go of it, to not let him win by never trusting anyone again.

"I was seventeen when I met him," she continued. "I aged out of foster care, but I was practically living out on the streets on and off since I was fourteen. I learned how to fend for myself, sometimes that meant taking things that weren't mine so I could get by. Didn't have any friends to speak of, I was on my own until one day I saw a yellow Beetle in an alley. I thought it was cute, and if you're leaving it in an alley you're just asking for someone to steal it. So I did. The thing is, I didn't realize until I was already on the road that someone was in the back seat. I was stealing his car and he was flirting with me."

She remembered with a start how, despite her initial reaction to Neal, she felt an immediate attraction to him. Just like with a certain pirate.

"I found out later that he had stolen the car before I did," she said, her voice softened by the memory. "And that was the auspicious start to our romance. We became a team-the dynamic duo, Bonnie-and-Clyde, only our crime spree didn't involve guns. We were just petty thieves, using distraction and slight of hand to steal things to survive, and occasionally for fun. And then one day, he told me he wanted to settle down, to stop the Bonnie and Clyde act and have a home. A home...yeah, that's another thing I never had before."

She gave her mother a side glance and couldn't help but feel guilty at the anguish she saw there. She was trying to be honest, not hurtful. Not knowing what else to say or do, she gave her mother's hand a reassuring squeeze and soldiered on.

"We were going to go to Tallahassee. No particular reason, just a place I pointed to on a map. I started dreaming about a place on the beach overlooking the ocean. Didn't have to be a palace, just something that I could call my own and share with the man I loved. The thing is, he supposedly found out that he was still catching heat for stealing some watches from a jewelry store he worked in months before we even met. He saw his wanted poster in a post office and started freaking out. He said that our plans to go to Tallahassee were out, and that he'd have to go to Canada by himself because I'd have to go to jail if I got caught with him."

She chuckled darkly at those words.

"I loved Neal. I loved him so much that I was willing to go to the bus station where he stashed the watches, get them for him so that he could fence them, and we'd have enough to get new identities and start over in Tallahassee. Only it didn't work out that way. I got him the watches, and he told me that they were pricey-worth about 20 grand easy. Then he put one on my wrist, and said we had to keep it because it looked so good on me. He took the rest with him and I was so stupid, and in love, and I trusted him so much that I didn't even question it when he said he had to go to the meet by himself. Next day, I go to our meeting place, but instead of Neal being there, it was a cop. Apparently, someone made an anonymous call reporting that there would be a girl at the parking lot with one of the stolen watches. Three guesses as to who the helpful citizen was calling about?"

"Oh Emma..." Her mother sighed, on the verge of tears as she began to understand the cost of sending her daughter through to this world by herself.

"Hey, you got it in one guess!" Emma couldn't help herself from saying. "Anyway, since they only found the one watch on me, the judge gave me 11 months. I gave birth to Henry in jail. And I gave him up for adoption. Managed to find an agency willing to place him instead of him having to go through foster care. It was the best I could do for him. I didn't have anyone, had no idea where his father was, but since Neal turned me in, I doubt that he would have suddenly wanted to become a daddy. I was so damned screwed up! I couldn't take care of myself, how was I going to take care of a baby? It felt like it was the only unselfish choice I had.

"When I got out, I pulled myself together, became a bounty hunter, and I swore to myself that I'd never be that stupid again."

Emma took a deep shuddering breath, and though all she had been doing was talking, she felt exhausted, but she knew that she had to continue, to get it all out.

"Eleven years later, I ended up in Boston," she went on. "I was offered a job by this guy after I had beaten one of his best guys to a perp. On my birthday, I brought in a deadbeat whose wife put up everything she had as collateral and was on the verge of losing everything, while this jackass went online dating when he was supposed to be on the run. After I brought him in, I went to my apartment, had myself a birthday cupcake and wished I didn't have to be alone anymore. And then Henry showed up at my door. You know the rest."

"And Hook?" Asked her mother gently.

"Hook is a bad guy, one of the villains, right?" She asked rhetorically. "It would have been stupid to trust him."

"But you didn't, right?" Snow tried to reassure her. "That's why you left him up at the giant's castle, because he did something that reminded you that you couldn't trust him?"

"Nope," replied Emma, her voice cracking slightly. She had to clear her throat before continuing. "He put his life on the line to distract the giant while I threw the poppy powder in the giant's face. When the giant went down, I thought he landed on Hook and I..."

"You what?" Snow gently prodded when Emma had trouble continuing.

"I thought he was hurt...or worse," she practically whispered. "And then when we were in the treasure room looking for the compass, I grabbed him to stop him from activating a trip wire. Of course, he thought I was grabbing _at_ him."

"He probably thought you were making up excuses to touch him." She snorted at the thought, wondering at her daughter's sad smile.

"He did," Emma admitted, remembering the look on his face, and how she struggled against him, and herself to get out of his embrace. "And then, when the giant woke up, started knocking things around and part of the roof caved in, Hook was buried beneath the rubble. I almost..."

"Almost what sweetheart?"

"For a moment there, I almost went back in after him," she sighed. "Even with the giant after me, even with the knowledge that if I died, I'd never be able to see Henry again and he'd never know how hard I fought to get back to him, even knowing that your chances of getting back to him and to David without the compass or the ashes would be next to nothing. I almost risked everything for Hook in that second. As stupid as it sounds, I wanted to trust him, I wanted to believe him and trust him so badly. The last time I wanted to trust someone that badly, I ended up in jail for 11 months and I gave up my son."

"Emma..." Snow sighed, able to read between the lines of what her daughter was saying, and wishing that she could find a way to reassure her, but words would not come.

"I'm not that girl anymore," Emma finally said, resolve glimmering in the tone of her voice. "I'm not some stupid seventeen year old kid with nothing to lose but some time and her heart. I finally, finally have a family, and a place I belong, and people I love and would die to protect. I knew that the chances of me being wrong about him, about trusting him, that he wouldn't screw us over for Cora were far too great for me to take lightly. I just couldn't take that chance..."

She wiped away an errant tear as she heard his voice echo in her mind. The anger she expected. The hurt had her nearly undone. Only the thought of Henry kept her from turning back.

"But when we were in Rumplestiltskin's cell, and he told me that he wouldn't have left me behind in the giant's castle, I knew that he was telling the truth. I was so scared that he would betray me-us, that I betrayed him. I stabbed him in the back and he didn't deserve it."

"What does it matter anyway, he's done with me," Emma muttered before catching herself. "I mean, he's stuck in fairytale land."

"Then why does it matter to you?" Asked her mother, gently taking her by the shoulders and turning her so that she could look her in the eyes.

"Because..." Emma sputtered, not entirely sure why it did matter. "Because I'm supposed to be one of the good guys, and good guys don't stab people in the back."

"Sweetheart, I think it's because you're scared," smiled Snow reassuringly. "And with all you've been through, it's understandable. You're scared because you're afraid that you don't know how to let someone in, to trust someone. But you're starting to. You let Henry in, and you've confided in me, and I'm so thankful for that. And someday, you'll find someone who will prove himself worthy of your trust, and your heart."

"Thanks mom," she paused, catching herself and looking over at Snow, who had a look of pure and unadulterated joy on her face, and Emma decided not to correct herself. "But I think happily ever after skips a generation in our family."

"I don't believe that," her mother said confidently. "Not for a second. One day, there will be someone, someone who will prove that he is worthy of you, someone who refuses to give up on you no matter what, someone who is willing to put in the work to knock down those walls you put up to keep people out. Someone who is willing to fight for you no matter what. You'll find him, or better yet, he'll find you."

Emma melted into the hug for a moment before noticing that Snow was shivering. She pulled back, advising her mother to go back inside their apartment building.

"I'll just be a moment," she reassured her. "Promise."

She watched Snow turn and go through the main lobby doors before turning back around. She raised the bottle of rum to the sky and said in a quiet voice,

"Here's to Captain Killian Jones, may he some day find the peace he deserves."

She then tilted the bottle, watching the amber stream cascade down to the ground when she heard something that startled her and caused her to drop the rum and spin around.

"I really hope that isn't rum Love," tutted a voice that seemed to emerge from the shadows. "Bloody waste of it if you ask me."


	2. Oceans

**A/N: okay, first off, I am so sorry for not updating sooner. RL has been a beast, and while I have most of the other chapters written so far, this one was a struggle to get out. This chapter might seem a bit short but it's actually part of the monster chapter that was already over 6000 words and counting even though edited it like 10 times. The second part of this chapter is almost done. I will try and post it tonight or early tomorrow. **

**Thanks again to everyone who is still reading this.**

**Disclaimer: if by some absolutely fantastic quirk of luck I was able to own Once Upon A Time, the episodes would be 4 hours long and feature continuous gratuitous Killian Jones nudity. Alas, for better or worse the show and its characters are owned by the ABC network and lucky creative monsters Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. **

Oceans

...would you come back and see me

or angel am I dreaming 'cause I'll miss you so

I miss you so, and that's a fact

Look now where I'm at...

Killian trudged through the forest following Smee's careful instructions, being forewarned not to follow the skies since the stars were different here. The little Troll had yet to find the dark one's dagger, but at Hook's growing impatience offered three other interesting locations.

The first was of Rumplestiltskin's home - or Mr. Gold as he's known in this world, since Hook already had the address of the Dark One's shop. That was all well and good, but now that there was magic in this realm there was no point in confronting the Crocodile without a weapon that could kill him. Not that Hook was afraid to die, no...Captain Hook did not fear death at all. He welcomed it as a matter of fact, however, he'd much prefer the Crocodile accompany him on that particular journey. He would not die with unfinished business.

Second address belonged to a certain Savior. He raised his eyebrows at that one and all it's intriguing possibilities. With a smirk, he wondered what her reaction would be to his presence-would she be secretly thrilled at seeing him again? Would she feign anger to hide her attraction to him? Would they continue with the banter that they exchanged before she knocked him out at Lake Nostros? No, he wouldn't go to her, not now. She had distracted him enough as it was. He had risked his vengeance for her and she didn't show the slightest gratitude.

That's because she does not know...his traitorous heart whispered. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, grimacing that after centuries he finds out now that the bloody thing still beats.

For her...No, not for her damnit. He had only one love, one woman that ever loved him. Swan made her feelings for him clear, and even if it was obvious that she was in denial, there was no point in pursuing her. She was a princess...no THE princess, the daughter of Prince Charming and snow bloody white, and the prophesied Savior to boot. There would be nothing but headache and trouble going down that route. If he was to get past her walls and into her bed, no doubt she would take it as a sign that he had chosen a side, her side, and the only side Hook was on was his own.

You already chose her...the voice in his head spoke, causing him to growl. Cora was wrong, and so was the voice in his head.

That was why he chose the third location. When he levelled a questioning gaze at Smee, the snivelling excuse for a man quivered, stuttering out something about a well that had magical properties; it returns that which was once lost. Bolstered by his captain's interest, he explained further, saying that the well was rumoured to be where the Savior and the White Queen made their return from the Enchanted Forest.

There was only one thing that he had lost, one thing he wished could be returned to him.  
Hook knew that magic had its limits, and as achingly tempting as the prospect was, he knew that it could not bring back the dead. However, if it could grant him the ability to see her...if he could see Milah, even for just a moment...

He sighed, pausing for a moment, taking a glance around. He followed Smee's directions to the letter, it should be here damnit. He breathed back a surge of anger at the time he wasted searching for this blasted well, time he should have spent on the search for the dagger! He knew that it had to have been somewhere in this realm, it was the only weapon that could destroy the Crocodile. He should just turn around and head back to -  
That's when a small clearing caught his eye and beckoned him. He edged closer to it wearily, as he approached anything with magic. It seemed innocuous enough, just a plain looking stone well, though he could feel the magic radiating from it.

Hook stepped up to it, wondering what to do next. Smee was uncertain about how to activate the well's abilities, however Hook, having been familiar with magic through various means was sure that he could figure it out. Now that he was here...

"That which you seek can be returned to you, for a short time Captain..." An unfamiliar female voice that seemed to call out from the depths of the well told him.

"And you are...?" He retorted, edging toward the well cautiously.

"I am the spirit of the well." It answered.

"What is your price?" He asked, knowing that magic came at a cost. He felt ridiculous talking to a well, but if he could see his Milah again, even for a moment, he didn't care how foolish he appeared.

"A token of that which you wish to be returned..." The well answered.

All he had left of her, other than her memories and a faded tattoo on his wrist, was a ring she had stolen and given to him. She had relieved a wealthy and obnoxious merchant of it, slipping it from his drunken and explorative fingers. It was the first thing she had ever stolen, and she was exceedingly proud of it, practically beaming as she presented it to Killian as a gift. He put it on, and from that day he never took it off.

He toyed with it, twirling around his finger, weighing the risk of never seeing the treasured piece of jewelry again versus the chance to see his lost love. It might not even work. He took a deep breath, muttering "sod it" before yanking if off and abruptly tossing it into the well, expecting to hear a plopping sound once the ring reached the bottom.

"Now what?" He asked the disembodied voice. There was no response, nothing at all, so he waited. And waited. He told himself five more minutes and he was heading back to his ship. He would waste no more time. He might even ring Smee's neck for suggesting such a fruitless endeavour. He sat down on the ground, his back against the well looking up at the sky.

He was so tired, not from the trek into the woods, but of everything; the heft of his 3 centuries of bitter disappointment, waning patience, subsisting on little more than his hunger for revenge was bearing down on him, smothering him, weighing down every single part of him making it difficult to move, even to breathe. And for once, his rage wasn't enough to push through it. If this exhaustion brought him to the death that he had evaded for so long, then he welcomed it. He felt as though he were failing Milah by not avenging her, but perhaps if she had seen all that he had withstood in her name, all that he had done to try and bring her peace, then perhaps she could forgive him.

"Hello handsome." An achingly familiar voice broke the silence that surrounded him.


	3. Where I Stood

**A/N: okay, as promised, here is the second part to the previous chapter. I tried to whittle it down, I really did but somehow it still ended up being over 4000 words. At least I managed to get it down from 7000 words. **

***shrugs* hope you still like it. Thanks again to all those who have read, reviewed and favorited my story. Big hugs to you all!**

**Oh, and to clear up some confusion, this chapter and the last chapter happen before Chapter 1. It's basically why Hook ends up at Emma's place. And the lyrics at the beginning of the last chapter is from the song Oceans by the Tea Party.**

**Disclaimer: nope still don't own Once Upon a Time. I checked, and Abc network, Edward Kitsis, and Adam Horowitz own it. Bleep.**

**Where I stood**

Slowly, he turned his head towards the sound, fearful that it was merely his mind playing its cruel tricks on him. His breath caught in his chest, his eyes finally were greeted by the sight of his beloved, clad in the very pirate garb he last saw her in, her eyes twinkling with mirth.

"Milah..." He choked out, feeling her name lodge itself in his throat as he struggled to stand. "Is it really you?"

"How many other Milah's do you know?" She teased, one brow cocked. "On second thought, don't answer that."

"There is only one that I have ever loved," he whispered, reaching out to her and sighing heavily when his hand went through her arm. He knew that it was what would likely happen, that he wouldn't be able to make contact with her ghostly form. It was the worst kind of torture, being so close to her, and being unable to hold her, not being able to touch or kiss her...

He cursed himself for squandering this opportunity with regrets and thoughts about things that he couldn't change. There was no telling how long the spell would last, and there was so much he wanted to talk to her about, so much he wanted to say to her that he knew another 300 years would not suffice.

"I have missed you Killian." She said warmly, reaching out her transparent hand and ghosting it along his cheek as she used to do centuries ago.

"Oh my love..." He rasped, biting back the emotion that threatened to pull him under. "The day that the Crocodile ripped you from my life was the day I ceased to live. I existed for one thing and one thing only. When I finally get my revenge, we can finally be-"

"No Killian," she said harshly, taking a step back from him. "I don't want to be avenged."

"Something must be wrong with my hearing because I could have sworn that I heard you say that you _don't_ want to be avenged," he growled menacingly. "That you _don't_ want that cowardly demon to pay for what he's done."

"I know that it's the last thing you want to hear, but now that I'm no longer bound to my flesh I exist between worlds, between time and space, I've seen the part I had to play in my own fate-" she explained before Killian interrupted.

"Gods, tell me you don't blame yourself for what that monster did to you!" Killian bellowed, feeling enraged and betrayed. "He ripped your heart from your chest and crushed it Milah! And he lashed me to the mast of my own ship to stop me from saving you! How in the name of the gods was any of that your doing?"

"Looking back now, there were so many things I could have done to prevent that from happening," she sighed sadly. "I could have told Rumple that I was willing to take Bae and move to another village, giving him the choice to follow us and start over or live alone. I could have kept to my word and returned home after we docked at the first port, after I explored my first town away from my village. At the very least I should have left him a letter stating my intentions instead of allowing him to believe that you stole me away. My actions were cowardly and selfish. I wanted...I deluded myself into thinking I'd return with - at the very least, memories of an adventure that I had with you. But I became greedy. The more time I spent with you, the more I wanted. It was always just one more adventure until the thought of going back made it impossible to breathe. Until there was no going back. I let my husband and son believe I was taken when in truth, I could have gone back, I just...didn't."

Killian had previously heard all the reasons she didn't go back, why she refused to return to her village even to retrieve her son. "A pirate's life is no life for a boy", and "he'd never be happy without his papa", and of course "Rumple may lack in many areas, but he's a good father to his son." He remembered many nights with Milah crying in his arms for her boy, and the far away look that would cloud her vibrant blue eyes and he would know instantly where her thoughts had taken her.

"You can't change the past love." He muttered, hating to see the look of sadness in her eyes.

"Funny enough, I was going to say the same to you." She retorted, looking upon him wearily.

"It's not the same thing..." he growled, irritated that he should have to defend his actions and his 300 odyssey of revenge to the woman that inspired it, the one who should know him better than anyone else.

"It's time for all this to stop Killian," she sighed. "There has been enough blood shed, lives lost and misery wrought in the name of vengeance - The both of you have the opportunity to start your lives anew, a chance to move on. Killian you need to stop existing for the sake of vengeance and live!"

"How am I to live when you're not at my side?" He choked. "And now that you've demanded I no longer pursue retribution against your husband for what was stolen from me, pray tell, what would I have to live for?"

"You have so many reasons to live My Captain, however the most obvious reason you're already acquainted with-Emma," Milah smiled knowingly. "You live for her."

"Swan?" He scoffed with a feigned air of disgust, attempting to hide the guilt that crept across the pit of his stomach. "The woman is insufferable and is afflicted with a severe case of mistrust. Why would she ever be a reason for me to live?"

"You don't fool me Killian," chuckled Milah. "I see into your heart pirate. For so long it has been mired in darkness. You've sustained yourself on nothing but misery and rage. Now, for the first time in centuries I see a spark in you - a spark _she_ has ignited, and that spark grows stronger by the day. Don't deny it."

"Milah," he sighed, nearly overcome by his remorse at what he saw was an act of betrayal. "I never meant-"

"Hush Killian, I know you truly loved me," she smiled warmly at him. "Just as I truly loved you. But I died, you did not. I'm glad to find that your heart has finally been awakened. It has pained me immeasurably to have seen you in such misery, which is why I think the gods for Emma. She is a beauty, and she's smart, tough, brave, strong, and fierce enough to keep you on your toes. She's exactly what you need Killian. Matter of fact, she is your true love."

"No, she's not," Killian bristled at the idea, though there was a pesky voice inside him that told him it was true. "You _are_ my true love. She's merely a diversion, a distraction-"

"We loved each other truly-yes, but we are not each other's true loves Killian. The fates have long ago written the story of the Savior and the Pirate in the stars." She told him.

"Maybe they spoke of another pirate." he muttered, his gaze wandering toward the path that would lead him towards Storybrooke. He already knew what she would think of this idea of Milah's, and he could almost hear the brittle laughter that would stutter from her lips.

"Really? There's another pirate who waited 300 years for revenge when really, the fates were preparing him to meet his true love, weaving a tale that would eclipse the epic romance of even Snow White and Prince Charming?" Milah sighed, looking upon him with a mixture of sadness, pity and frustration. "Killian, we are all the playthings of fate, and inasmuch as many of us prattle on about true love, it is exceedingly rare. It happens only in the most extraordinary of circumstances-when two hearts are written in the same language and housed in two people who are destined to become legends. You and Emma's hearts are written the same, it's why you could read hers so well, and why she could read yours."

"Yes, that's why I saw her betrayal at the beanstalk coming from a mile away." He scoffed.

"You may claim that you can read her like a book Killian, but she hasn't let you close enough to read between the lines of her story," she replied, as a deep sadness cast over her features that he didn't understand. "She needs you Killian, just as much as you need her."

"I need no one," he snarled as he felt his anger bubbling up and threatening to boil over. Everything he's endured, everything he has done has been for her, for his Milah - his one love, the only person who truly knew him, and yet, she was before him, telling him that she refuses to be avenged and telling him he wasted 300 years of his life pursuing the one thing he believed would bring them both peace. Not only that, she was encouraging him to love another, that his _true love_ was the insufferably beautiful, vexingly enchanting, treacherously magnificent Swan. The princess warrior, the Savior of realms, guardian of good against the forces of evil. In short, a woman that a broken pirate with a soul filled with darkness would never hope to have a chance with.

"Killian, you're allowing your grief, your rage and you need for vengeance blind you," sighed Milah sadly. "Even now, I know that the reason you came to the well was not only to see me because you missed me."

"What are you talking about?" Killian snapped. "You claim that you know of my love for you, and yet you doubt that your absence causes me pain?"

"I know you miss me Killian," she replied, refusing to give in to his dramatics. "However, I also know that there's a question you've been burning to ask me. I question I see swirling round and round in that clever mind of yours. You want to know if I can access the knowledge of the spirit world and tell you where Rumple's dagger is, don't you?"

He nodded, feeling slightly guilty at his motives. He did want to see her, more than anything, but it was true, he hoped that she would have knowledge of where the enchanted weapon was hidden. He intended to ask her immediately, back when he believed that she would understand his quest for vengeance. He even imagined her assisting him in his mission so that they could be reunited as soon as the Crocodile was no more. Never did he expect this reaction from her.

"How do I know you're really Milah? How do I know that this isn't some trick of magic?" He snapped, tired of being pushed and judged by her.

"Because you know that it's me, because you feel that it's me," she reasoned with him patiently. "I'm the Milah you forgot, the one who loved you more than anything, that wants only to see you happy, the Milah who has despaired at the path you've chosen to follow. Oh love, why can't see that you have a chance now, a chance to have everything you've denied yourself, a chance at love and your own happily ever after. A chance that would vanish should you continue to seek the Dark One's dagger."

"I can't just stop Milah," he rasped. "I've spend 300 years in pursuit of this goal. If I can't claim vengeance in your name, then I'll claim it for myself. I will never know peace until is have ended his life by my hands. Tell me where the dagger is so that I can finally end this torment."

"I won't." She replied tonelessly.

"Why not?" His voice was deceptively calm, though his body trembled with anger. If he didn't have his answers he wasn't above destroying the well.

"The dagger is enchanted, and as with all magic-"

"There is a price, I know." He said, trying his best to sound bored and spare himself yet another lecture.

"A price that won't be paid by you, but by the Savior and those she loves," Milah warned him. "Are you willing to allow her to absorb the costs of your anger with her blood?"

"This doesn't concern her," he shrugged, though he felt icy cold fingers of fear creep up his spine at the threat to Swan. "She won't be involved. This is none of her or her bleeding family's business."

"Well, she considers the safety and well being of those she cares for her business, and that happens to include you my dear," Milah couldn't help but laugh at the slight shock that flittered across his face. "She isn't willing to admit it yet, not even to herself."

A strange silence descended between them as Milah tilted her head, cocking her ear as though trying to hear something from a long distance away.

"There's a war on the horizon Killian, I can feel it, can't you?" She asked him earnestly, and he was loathe to admit that there was something wrong, like a heaviness in the air before a storm.

"The Savior needs you Killian," Milah repeated, though she appeared as if she were listening to something he was not able to hear. "You are the one to help turn the tide in this war."

"Well, that's rather unfortunate for her," he said in the coldest voice he could muster. Only a few minutes before he couldn't wait to see Milah, every fibre of his being thrumming with the desperate need to see her again. And now, all he wanted to do was get away from her. "This war is _not_ my war, she is _not_ my true love and if indeed the fates determined that I would have a hand in deciding the outcome, then they chose poorly. I have but one goal, and that is to rip the blackened heart of the Crocodile out of his scrawny chest and crush it to dust before his very eyes. That-and only that will bring the peace I seek. If you will not aid me in the search for the one weapon that will end him, then I am done here."

"If you use the dagger on Rumplestiltskin, then you will become him," said Milah firmly. "The dagger is not merely magical, it is also a cursed object. Once you use it on the reigning dark one, you take his place and become the very thing you hate. Rumple was a quiet man, and he was considered to be a coward by many, including me. He hated the bullies who preyed upon him, who wielded their power over him and humiliated him. When he became the dark one, that is exactly what he did. He became addicted to the power and what it brought him, but refused to see what it robbed him of. Because of his lust for power, he lost his son, and turned away _his_ true love because she could have broken the curse, but he would have lost his magic. Use the dagger and you will become a coward who takes lives on a whim, who revels in the misery of those who are indebted to him. You will become the kind of monster who rips the happiness away from others simply because you won't let yourself be happy. You will become a demon."

Killian considered Milah's words, and as much as he loathed the idea of becoming like the Crocodile, he had already turned himself into a monster to pursue his revenge. There were few lines he wouldn't cross, and very little he would not do. And yet, he still held on to his code, still considered himself a gentleman. Would he be able to abandon his code, the few morals he held on to in order to achieve his goal?

"There is another way Killian," Milah piped up, a smile gracing her face.

"Are you going to tell me or am I to guess?" He replied warily.

"Anyone daring to oppose the Dark one would have no chance against him now that he has regained his magic. Unless of course, they had magic themselves." Milah pointed out with a smug grin on her face.

"What are you not telling me Milah?" Killian hissed, hating the feeling that he was being played by her of all people.

"That Emma has Magic," she smiled. "Very powerful pure magic actually, with the potential for her to be even more powerful than even the dark one. Really Killian, I would have thought you'd have figured it out with her breaking the curse of all curses and being the child of true loves-with true love being the most powerful force in all the realms."

"Swan has magic?" He couldn't help but repeat. Emma, the ultimate skeptic somehow had magic of her own and failed to tell him?

"She has only just discovered it," Milah answered the question he had not yet voiced. "Emma is still learning to use her abilities, but she has the potential to be more powerful than Cora, and Regina. Perhaps even more powerful than the dark one."

"Am I to make myself a member of her band of heroes, assist them in ridding their town of Cora and then convince them to help me end Rumplestiltskin?" he scoffed, though a part of him couldn't help but be intrigued by the idea of working together with Emma again. "It will never work. The only way that they would do such a thing is if they had irrefutable proof that the Dark One was intending to attack. I suppose I could provoke him or make it appear as though he intended them harm, however Swan has this vexing ability to see though my lies and machinations. She'd know what I was up to."

"The spirits speak of a prophecy," she sighed, frowing as if she heard something she found disturbing. "There is a young boy, a boy who is not what he seems, a boy that will lead Rumple to the son he seeks, but this boy will be his undoing. Once he finds his son, Rumple will seek to end the boy."

"Henry," Killian muttered, disgusted at what Milah had told him. He considers himself to be a pirate, the most fierce and monstrous of them all, and yet him would never consider harming a child. "I must warn Emma."

"She won't believe you," Milah warned him. "She is still to afraid to trust you, and while she doesn't trust him either, she'd rather believe the devil she knows. Besides, Henry is safe from Rumple, for now."

"If I'm to gain her trust, how am I to do so while keeping a threat against her son a secret?" Muttered Killian. Milah raised her brow, fixing her hands on her hips, launching a withering glare at him.

"Fine fine, the spirits told you to tell me not to tell, so I won't," he sighed. "Do they say how I'm to gain her trust?"

He was about to repeat his question, when he saw a wistful look in her eyes as she looked toward the stars for a moment before returning her attentions to him once more.

"I have to go Killian," she said softly, avoiding his question. Ordinarily that would irritate him, but there was something bittersweet in her voice that are at his gut.

"It isn't yet midnight," he argued, regretting that he spent so much of their moments bickering or talking about another woman. "Surely you can stay for a bit longer?"

"I've got to go Killian, you've got to _let_ me go," she smiled warmly. "Besides, there's somewhere you've got to be."

"There's no where else I'd rather be," he reassured her, searching his pockets for more trinkets for the well to make Milah stay for just a few moments more.

"I know I have more baubles here somewhere," he muttered, cursing at himself for not being more prepared. "I'll bring more tomorrow! I'll bring barrels of jewelry, enough to fill that damned well-"

"It isn't about the token or the amount that you bring Killian," she said patiently. "It's time for you to let me go Love. I've stayed at your side watching you drown in rage and pain to become a man I wouldn't care for. I stayed hoping, waiting for something to change, for you to meet your fate and become the man I once loved and I can see a glimpse of that now. You have a ways left to go my love, but at least your on the right path now. And I am happy for you, and I'm overjoyed at having this opportunity to speak to you one last time."

"Please don't," he whispered, shutting his eyes against the pain of having to say goodbye to her. "Please don't leave me, not again."

"Killian, I'm venturing to the great beyond," she said, her eyes shining with excitement. "A place of great peace and joy, where I can be reunited with the loved ones that have passed on long ago. I've longed to travel there for so long, but I could not leave without ensuring that you and Bae will be alright."

"I am far from alright." He rasped, a tear falling from his eyes.

"But you will be, I know it now," she reassured him. "We must part my love, you have met your fate, and I look forward to whatever adventure awaits me. Take care my love, and take care of Emma. She is the key to obtaining the peace you seek."

"Wait," he called out as she stepped away from him. "You've not yet told me how I'm to gain Swan's trust. How do I get her to let me past her defences?"

Milah smiled mischievously, sauntering towards him. He felt his lips curl instinctively, and he could swear that he could see her solidifying before his very eyes. She was becoming less transparent, to the point where he could again see the crinkles in the corners of her eyes, the moonlight glinting off her hair, the varying hues of blue in her eyes that had always reminded him of the sea.

"You're going to be late Captain, and tardiness isn't the way to make a good impression." She teased, standing toe to toe with him. She seemed so real now that he was tempted to try and reach out to her once more, but he knew it wasn't possible. She wasn't real.

"What exactly am I late for?" He retorted, glad to have their banter back, if only for a moment. Suddenly, his traitorous mind conjured an image of a someone that he more recently enjoyed bantering with. He desperately pushed thoughts of her out of his mind, but he could tell from Milah's smirk and her raised eyebrow that he was caught.

"Perhaps if she won't let you close enough yet to look between those lines of hers, you could always take a peek without her knowing." She grinned knowingly. "As for your question of trust, well-do you trust me enough to do what I say you need to do to gain her trust? Even if it won't be easy, in fact, it will take a great leap of faith. Are you prepared for that?"

"I trust you more than anyone Milah, you know that."

Pleased at his answer, she leaned towards him, and his eyes closed of their own volition. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he could almost feel her breath on his skin, every part of him aching for her touch. For a moment he thought he felt her kiss upon his cheek before she gave a puzzling instruction.

His eyes shot open at her words, but to his dismay, Milah was gone. His hand flew to his chest, pressing against it to try and stop the pain he felt there. A few deep breaths and the pain faded to a dull ache. Suddenly the words Milah spoke to him made sense, and he hoped that the advice she gave him would work. It was a gamble that he was taking, a huge gamble...but if it brought an end to his centuries of torment...

He pulled out the small scrap of paper that Smee gave him and smiled to himself, feeling the flicker of hope within him grow.

"Well Swan, guess I'm not done with you yet." He smirked to himself as he headed towards the town.


	4. How Did You Get Here?

**A/N: thanks to Hitsugi-Chan for the advice and helping me decide.**

**Also big thanks to all those who have reviewed, favorited and followed this story. **

**Disclaimer: I, Anne Nonymous do not own Once Upon a Time or its characters. They are property of Edward Kitsis, Adam Horrowitz, and the ABC network. If I owned it Hook would wear nothing but his hook on the show. Yeah, I know I'm twisted.**

**How did you get here?**

So I placed my heart under lock and key,

to take some time and take care of me,

but I turned around and you're standing here...

"I really hope it wasn't rum love," tutted a voice that seemed to emerge from the shadows. "A waste of it if you ask me."

Emma froze, barely hearing the bottle that was once in her hands crash to the ground, her attentions focused instead on the rich, deep, velvety, mesmerizing, tantalizingly accented voice that was all too familiar to her.

"Miss me love?" The voice asked, an undercurrent of amusement flowing through its depths.

She stayed standing there still as can be, oddly hoping that she was just losing it, that hearing his voice was simply a product of her twisted imagination. With all that she had been through over the past year, she was due for a breakdown. Quite frankly, she was surprised that she hadn't had any yet. She would have thought she'd have at least one...or ten by now.

"Lass?" He asked, this time sounding rather concerned.

She sighed, letting her arm down and slowly turning towards the source of the voice. She realized that deep down she knew, even before her eyes lit on his tall dark form, that he was really there. She knew from the way her body reacted, the quickening of her pulse as her heart battered against her ribcage, and the inexorable pull she had been fighting since the moment his eyes found hers under the pile of dead bodies at the refugee camp. She knew from the ache that his presence stirred within her, this yearning to forget who he was, who she was and just take that leap of faith with him, to just trust him like he begged her to. But trust and faith were things she found were a detriment to survival. For so long she trusted no one but herself and faith was something that left you a broken mess.

With a tired sigh, she turned to face him, fighting her body's urge to run into him, to wrap her arms around him and not let go.

"Hook." She managed to acknowledge him in a surprisingly steady voice.

"A minute ago, I was Captain Killian Jones, now I'm back to Hook?" He smirked, ignoring the slight twinge he felt at her reaction. He knew that the chances of her welcoming him with open arms were nearly non existent, but until she spoke, he foolishly clung to that small hope.

Gods he hoped that she couldn't see how hard he was struggling not to take those few last steps between them and take her into his arms. She was even more beautiful than he remembered, and that was saying something. The vulnerability he had just witnessed made her even more of a marvel to him, as though seeing and understanding these new facets of his Swan opened his eyes. She was a survivor, just like him. The strength she had at her command after being so cruelly betrayed left him in awe, even as his hook ached to gut the bastard who had broken what little faith she had.

"That was when you were supposed to be back in the Enchanted Forest." She replied wryly, grudgingly noting how good he looks, how damned _unfairly_ good he looked while she was sure she was a mess after crying in her mother's arms. That's when the timing of his arrival hit her.

"You were listening in on my conversation with my mother, weren't you?" She choked out, feeling embarrassment, shame and anger squeeze the air out of her lungs.

"Yes..." The words tumbled from his lips before he could even conjure a lie. "I'm sorry Emma, I didn't mean-"

"You _asshole_!" She growled, her hand clenched into a fist and her right arm swung out, connecting with his jaw. He barely flinched, and in her rage she ignored the look of sincere remorse on his face. "That was a private conversation between me and my mother! You had no right to listen in!"

She shoved him in the chest, trying to force him back, but other than swaying slightly he wouldn't budge, wouldn't fight back, wouldn't defend himself. Instead, he just kept murmuring his apologies. When her anger was spent, she pushed him and stepped back, away from the temptation his nearness posed. She was feeling raw and stupid that she still wished he would just take her in his arms and comfort her.

"You were right." He said suddenly, not moving from his spot, eyeing her warily. "When you said Rumplestiltskin took more than my hand from me. And I'm sure that you guessed it had something to do with the name on my wrist."

She stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.

"She...Milah and I were together for 8 years. With her, I was happier than I ever imagined I could be, than I ever deserved to be, perhaps that's why she was taken from me."

He wanted to stop there, to tell her that's as much as he can stand to tell her, but since she had unwittingly bared her soul to him, he felt as though he owed her the truth and perhaps she could understand him a little better as he did her.

"Before I met Milah, she was married though unhappily. She was tethered to the village coward, a man who injured himself in order to escape the battlefield while his comrades fought valiantly and fell around him. He ignored the scorn that was aimed at him and spilled over onto his son and wife. She wanted to leave, to start over somewhere else, somewhere his reputation was unknown. She begged him for a new start but he refused, using their son as an excuse to stay. Then I happened upon her while at the local tavern while my ship was docked in the port nearby. She was so vivacious and full of life, her thirst for adventure nearly matched my own. Milah was entranced by my tales of life on the high sees, the way her eyes lit up..."

He took a moment to regain control of his voice and his emotions. He looked over to Emma, finding her listening intently to his story. Killian flashed her a sad smile before continuing.

"In all honesty, I was expecting to take her to the nearby inn, bed her and never see her again," he felt his lips curl at the memory. "But her husband came to retrieve her, begging her to come home. At first, she refused, and then her son entered the tavern and I watched the brightness of her eyes become dimmed by guilt. Her vivacity dissipated, and she followed her son out the door. I was a bit disappointed to see her go, but the night was still fairly young, there were still more drinks and more wenches seeking my attention, so I thought nothing more of it. The next morning, she shows up on my ship, begging me to rescue her from the slow suffocating death that had become her life. She begged me to take her to just one port, she just wanted one adventure, one small break in the monotony of her existence. It wasn't the first time that a lass had begged me to take her away, but it was the only time I had been tempted. Then she spotted her husband on the dock and begged me to hide her, so I told her to wait in my chambers. Her husband hobbled onto the deck, and pleaded with me to let his wife go. I told him that if he was willing to fight me for her, I'd do as he asked-"

"But this was before he became the dark one right?" She interrupted. "And you said he was hobbling, it wouldn't have been a fair fight."

"I know that Swan," he sighed. "But with all that Milah told me of him, I wanted to see for myself. Knowing he had little chance of winning, if he was still willing to pick up the sword and _try_ to fight for his wife, perhaps he wasn't as bad as Milah made him out to be. Instead, he gazed at me balefully and asked me what he was to tell his son. I told him that he who refuses to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets. Then he walked away, and we set sail. One little adventure became just one more, until a year later we both realized she wasn't going to go home, and we were both happy about it. She did miss her boy, but said despite all of Rumplestiltskin's failings, he was a good father and would take care of their son. Said she was better off to them as a ghost. Eight years later we started hearing word of her husband becoming the dark one. She was worried for Bae, so we headed to the port nearest to her old village. That was where he found me."

"What happened?" Emma asked quietly, seeing the pain in his eyes. She was starting to finally understand his need for vengeance. She had the feeling that he hasn't told anyone this story before.

"I told him Milah was dead, and he challenged me to a duel," he replied evenly. "We fought, he cheated by using his magic and was about to rip my heart out - literally - when Milah interceded. We had heard that he required a magic bean, a bean that Milah and I had already acquired. We were going to go to Neverland where we could be together forever. But she bargained with him, offering him the bean for our lives. He agreed to the terms, but when he asked Milah how she could have abandoned him and Bae, she confessed that she never loved him. He ripped out her heart, lashed me to the mast of my own ship and crushed her heart before my eyes."

He gulped back the swirling emotions that once again threatened to overwhelm him. Once he again gained control, he looked towards Emma, wondering what her reaction would be. In her eyes, he saw understanding, empathy, and a glimmer of something else that was gone before he could recognize it.

"I can see why you want to kill him." Emma muttered.

"I've spent 300 years living for nothing but the day I spill that demon's blood," he spat. "Milah was everything to me and he took her because she didn't love _him_, she loved _me_. She was executed for loving me, for choosing me and I won't rest, I can't rest until he breathes no more."

"Hook," she breathed, unaware of how or when she became a step closer to him. She stuffed her hands in the back pockets of her jeans because she couldn't trust herself to resist the urge to reach out to him, to wrap her arms around him or take his face in her hands and guide him closer to her lips.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, nearly cursing at the tears that formed in her eyes again. "No one should have to go through that."

There was something in her tone of voice, and the faraway look in her eyes that made Killian wonder, but they were both too raw to for him to press her on it. He hoped one day that she would trust him enough to tell him.

"Hoo...Killian, how did you get here?" She asked, changing the subject.

"I was walking and my thoughts led me here to you." He said with a wary smile. She looked into his eyes and was surprised that it wasn't a just a line, but she knew that he was hiding something.

"Since you so unceremoniously left me behind with Cora, I had no choice but to seek her aid to travel to your land," he admitted with a sigh, confessing before she could wrest the truth from him. "However, our alliance ended once we docked. I have no interest in whatever plans she has devised."

Emma could feel her stomach drop in disappointment. Of course he was here with Cora, a voice in her head told her. The same one that wouldn't leave her alone for abandoning him at the Giana's castle reminded her that if she had just taken that leap of faith, then she would be here with Killian, and no Cora.

"Lass, I am not working with Cora," he repeated, the intensity of his gaze locking onto hers and she saw the honesty in them, and his need for her to believe him. "I came here to pledge my allegiance to you."

"And what's in it for you?" She retorted, hating how fractured she sounded, as thought one more blow, or even a simple touch from this man I front of her would shatter the walls she had so carefully constructed.

"I simply ask to participate when you and yours finally end the Dark One for good." He replied, not taking the opening she had unwittingly given him and surprisingly not uttering a crude or innuendo laced word.

"I can't let you do that, and believe me I do wish that I could," she replied, the apology apparent in her tone. Part of her wishes she could lie about it, tell her that she would help him kill Gold, or at least look the other way. The problem was that with him being so honest she couldn't find it in herself to lie to him, even if it meant that he would end up returning to Cora.

"I know what it's like to hate someone so much that you're practically choking with rage so deep and thick you can barely breathe. To lose so much because of someone that it seems like the most cruel injustice for that person to be allowed to walk around free..."

"Regina." Killian sighed. Of course Swan would understand. "Her curse took you away from your parents, forced you to live as an orphan for most of your life, and now I suppose that she don't see eye to eye because of your boy. Am I right?"

"Yeah, you got it." She muttered, but Killian could tell from the way she averted his gaze and the tone of her voice that there was more to the story. He wanted to push, but instinct told him that if he were ever to gain her trust, pushing too much too soon would only make her more weary of him.

"The thing of it is, I can't let you kill him," she continued. "Maybe it's the Savior thing, maybe it's this stupid hero gene that I inherited from my parents, but it's not in me to just stand by and allow someone to be murdered. Not even if they deserve it."

"Not even protect your son?" He asked, the words slamming into her chest.

"What do you mean?" She whispered, astonished that she could make a sound without any air in her lungs.

He told her about the well, speaking to Milah and the prophecy she told to him. He didn't mention the talk about him and Emma being true loves. Knowing her guardedness and cynicism she would convince herself he was lying to trying to trick her, and end up disregarding anything else he had to say.

"Milah said he would be safe from Rumplestiltskin until your Boy led him to the one he had abandoned." He finished, hoping to reassure her.

"Fuck!" She cursed, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "Not only do I have to worry about Cora, but Gold too?"

"Look on the bright side love," he grinned, his accented lit adding a touch of lightness to his voice. "You have me now. I'll watch your back. I'll even watch your front, though at the moment I find myself hard pressed to choose which view I prefer. Perhaps if I see you naked I'd be able to decide."

In spite of herself and this absolutely ridiculous situation she found herself in, she couldn't help but laugh at his comment and his stupid eyebrow waggling. She fought a shudder at the sound of him chuckling, only to look over at him and see the genuine smile that he gave her. It was the most beautiful, warm, comforting, mesmerizing, and dangerous thing she had ever seen.

"I want to trust you," she heard herself confessing, before hastily patching up her emotional walls. "But how do I know for sure that your orders from Cora are to get close to me and the people I care about. That she hasn't assigned you to figure out our secrets and weaknesses so she can destroy us. Or better yet, your offer is only good until you get a better one from Cora?"

"I have a way for you to be absolutely certain that my loyalties are with you and only you," he said earnestly, his voice tinged with sadness, as if he were hoping that it wouldn't come to whatever he was about to say next. That he was hoping to gain her trust before that.

"Really, and what's this sure fire way to prove your loyalty?" She bit out, hating the slight bitterness to her tone.

"I'll give you my heart." He replied.

She blinked for a moment, wondering him he really said what he said. And then she bust out laughing. She thought that she had heard some really good lines in her time, but that one was bad...like really really bad. That line belonged in movies with sparkly vampires, or books with covers that had women whose boobs were one sneeze away from spilling out of their dress while they clung to a guy whose long locks flowed in the wind and the flouncy shirt they wore bared their muscled and utterly hairless chest. Granted, if Hook strapped on a wig he'd give those Fabio's a run for their money. And she liked his chest hair, not that she'd ever admit to imagining how it would feel to run her fingers through it...

"I'd offer you my Hook for the task, unfortunately, the enchantment would allow me to take only one heart, and as you know I've used that one up..."

He was still talking Emma noted as her laughter died down.

"You'll probably have to consult Regina," he continued. "She and her mother are experts at removing hearts. However, you'll have to ensure that she is on your side, and that her mother hasn't reached her yet. I do know that Regina is at the core of the Witch's plans. She wants to reunite with her daughter, and will use whatever means she deems necessary to do so. We cannot allow her to. Cora is formidable on her own, with Regina at her side it would only make things more difficult."

"We?" She couldn't help but wonder at his use of the pronoun.

"Yes _we_," he smirked at her. "On the same side remember? Where was I? Oh yes, with Regina on _our_ side, perhaps we can persuade her to give you magic lessons. After all, being the product of true love in a land that now has magic will no doubt give you a hell of an advantage."

"Do you have somewhere safe by the way?" He asked, his fingers scratching at his scruff in thought.

"Somewhere safe?" She asked, her eyebrows shooting upwards, wondering if, when, and how she seemed to have missed a huge chunk of this conversation.

"To keep my heart?" He replied as though he was talking to a four year old. "What would be the point of giving it to you only to have Cora get a hold of it and crushing it to dust, or worse, using it to control me?"

"Wait a minute...when you said you were going to give me your heart..."

"Yes love, I meant that literally," Hook smiled gently at her, catching an errant strand of her golden locks that had been captured by a sudden breeze, and tucking it gently behind her ear. "I want you to take my heart out of my chest and keep it safe. If we only had more time, I'd chip away at those walls of yours until you give me a chance to prove myself. Unfortunately, we most likely don't have as much time as I wished we did, so we'll have to do this the hard way; I'm willing to take a leap of faith and place my trust in you."


	5. Cross that line

**A/N: so sorry for the late update, but the muse kept giving me ideas for one shots or new stories. I kept reminding her about all of my WIP, but then she would turn around and say "oh, but what about this?" Trying to decide if those should be one shots or part of other stories. Bah, I'll get to those later.**

**Thanks to those who have reviewed, followed, favourited or all of the above.**

**DISCLAIMER: I have put this show on my wish list for Santa, but apparently I'm on his permanently naughty list, so it still belongs to the ABC network, and Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. Bastards.**

**oh, last chapter the lyrics in the beginning were from a song by the amazing Deborah Cox called "How did you get here". The lyrics from this chapter are from Joshua Radin's song "Cross That Line". I own neither. The list of things I do own is woefully short.**

**Cross that line**

_...Every time, I lose myself I find, _

_I'm left alone, but you need to know,_

_For you I'd break these walls, I choose to fall,_

_I'm gonna cross that line for you..._

"You're serious." Emma heard herself say, the words spilling past her lips while her usually quicksilver thoughts thickened like sludge in her brain, swallowing up the reason and logic she tended to rely on.

"Very serious Swan," he replied solemnly, the sincerity written on his face reminding her of another time she was surprised by his honesty and still doubted it. "Matters of the heart should not be trifled with."

"But...how can you be sure that you can trust _me_ with it?" She muttered, nearly staggering with the weight of responsibility that he was handing to her, and all of the implications that seemed to be attached to it. "For crying out loud, I chained you up in a Giant's castle, and I knocked you out by that lake before I portal jumped home with my mother, and you want _me_ to take your _heart_? How the hell do you know I won't screw you over?"

"Is that not the very essence of trust?" He volleyed back at her with a smirk. "Placing your secrets, your care, your life in the hands of another in the belief that they won't...how did you so succinctly word it? Ah yes...screw you over."

He spoke with a startling intensity that captured her gaze and wouldn't let go.

"Since you have demonstrated time and again your complete and utter inability to place your trust in others, perhaps it would be best to have someone teach you how," he replied with a sigh. "And I have taken it upon myself to teach you by example."

"Why?" She couldn't help but ask. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because perhaps by assisting you I have my best shot at revenge," he sighed. "and perhaps it's because I've never seen someone fight so hard for someone they loved that it would be the definition of injustice to have your boy taken from you. Or perhaps deep down, it's because we understand each other."

She could see in his eyes that he was telling her the truth, not the half truths he was telling her back in the enchanted forest, but the real deal. Emma was still reeling from everything he had just dumped on her when he started towards the apartment building.

"_Coming_ Princess? Or shall I assist you with that as well." He stopped and turned to her, smirking salaciously.

"Oh please..."she snorted, trying not to show his words affected her, realizing too late her poor choice in words. When he chuckled darkly, his voice deep and rich, pouring over her like a gentle caress causing her to fight the shiver it caused.

"Since you asked so nicely princess," He muttered, leaning towards her. Emma found her body rebelling against her brain and moving towards him. "It would be my pleasure, and yours too of course. However, we do have some business to attend to before we engage in more enjoyable activities."

Before she could even register what he was saying he took a step back.

"Where do you think you're going?" She meant for her words to sound scathing and authoritative, instead it sounded more whinny and panicked.

"To speak with Prince James and Princess Snow and involve them in our plans," he shrugged, pausing for a moment to allow her to catch up. "Going up against Cora will take strategy, cunning, and all the resources that we are able to gather. As a matter of fact, we must invite Regina to this meeting as well since it would encourage her to side with us against her mother in order to help protect Henry against Cora and Rumplestiltskin."

"And how are you going to explain how she got here?" She pointed put snarkily.

"Cora is the one with the magic, I merely supplied her with the bean and the use of my ship," he shrugged, continuing into the building with Emma at his side. "It was more prudent of me to offer her assistance rather than have her simply take them both from me."

Guilt hit her squarely in the chest as Emma realized that she didn't leave Hook with much choice. She knew what it was like to be thrown into a situation where you have to make due with the limited choices you're given, and the choices you're left with suck.

"I'm...uh," Emma muttered, trying to push those rarely said words out of her mouth and finding it really hard to do. Especially with Hook, no matter how much he did deserve it. "I'm...you know..."

"Secretly attracted to me?" He smirked. "Hate to tell you princess, but it's no secret."

Part of her wanted to kick him where he seemed to do most of his thinking-and that wasn't the space between his ears. Another part of her realized what he was really doing, reading her, realizing how hard it was for her to apologize and letting her know that he knew, and not making a big deal of it.

"Shut up," she retorted, shoving his shoulder playfully and trying to fight the smile that was curling at the corner of her lips. "I just wanted to tell you I'm... sorry for the whole thing at the Giant's castle. That was pretty rotten of me to do, but all I was doing was trying to get back to-"

"Your boy, I know," he turned to her, giving her a tight smile. "And I wasn't trying to stop you Swan. Matter of fact, I was actually trying to help you. I also know that there are other reasons why you left me there, reasons you still refuse to acknowledge. Reasons we'll explore once we deal with Rumplestiltskin, and Cora, and those trust issues of yours. Right now however, the pressing issue is informing your parents and Regina of what is unfolding with Cora and the Crocodile."

"I guess you're right," she muttered grudgingly. Emma looked over to see him smirking widely, looking straight ahead. "I realize that's a rare occurrence, but its still no reason to let it get to your head."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he chuckled. "actually, since we've met, my dreams seem to consist of you...and I...and let's just say it words would not do justice to what my mind has conjured. It would be more _satisfying_ to show you."

Emma found herself almost whimpering at the heat in his voice. God, the things he did to her with his voice alone, and he knew it.

"Yeah, keep talking like that around my parents and my mother will use you for target practice after my father chops you into bite size pieces." She retorted confidently, before she realized what she had actually said. Emma gave herself a mental head slap for constantly saying things around Hook that could easily be turned into a double entendre. Hook laughed and gave her one of his most seductive smiles, which Emma had to admit was pretty damn good.

"Bite size eh?" He chuckled, stepping towards her on the stairs. "Is that you way of telling me you like to gobble me up? I should warn you though, it'll take more than a bite, I'm more of a mouthful-"

"Alright, that's enough," she ordered, cutting him off as they made it to her floor, and before she was no longer able to ignore that little voice in her head that kept saying '_screw it, better yet, screw him_!'.

"I need to go in first, explain the situation to my parents," Emma said, glancing at the door to the loft anxiously. "They're gonna have a bit of difficulty believing all this."

"But you believe me, don't you?" Hook asked, the tiniest frisson of fear trembling through the timbre of his voice. Here he was, once more offering to side with her, willing to literally hand over his heart to her, and likely wondering if she would only end up betraying him again.

"I do, I believe you," She smiled reassuringly at him. "Just, do yourself a favour and stay here until I tell you to."

"I shall wait with baited breath, princess" He smiled, practically purring as he leaned against the bannister, crossing his arms and looking effortlessly sexy, and fully aware of this.

She merely shook her head, taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders before going into the family loft. She noticed her parents caught in a lovingly chaste embrace, holding each other, their touches full of tender affection. Emma watched for a second, wondering if she would ever have that; someone that she didn't have to have walls around, who she could share a simple loving moment with.

"Oh, hey Honey," Snow called out, noticing her daughter returned. "I was just about to make some tea, would you like some?"

She noticed that her parents were in no rush to separate, and she remembered how long they had fought to be together. Something was always threatening to rip apart their happily ever after, and she wished more than anything that she could give them a little more time to be happy without the drama that seemed to plague them, but she knew she couldn't. The town, their family, and Henry was at stake, and Emma knew that Hook was right, they needed to be informed, and she knew her parents would step up, just like they always did.

"Uh oh, you have that look on your face." Snow grimaced, looking at her daughter intently.

"What look?" Emma scoffed, partially glad for the temporary distraction, partially irritated because she really wanted to get this over and done with.

"You're frowning and wincing at the same time. Its a look that screams 'I have something I need to tell you but I don't really know how to say it'," her mother explained with a slightly amused smile. "Just blurt it out Emma. Whatever it is we'll deal with it, as a family."

Hearing her mother say that made her feel ridiculously warm and fuzzy, knowing that she finally had people who loved her and were unequivocally, unreservedly on her side. It took Emma a while to warm up to this idea of family, but she was starting to really get it.

"Cora is in town," she exhaled, grimacing at her parents reaction. They paled at the news, Snow's hand flying to her mouth to cover her gasp of surprise, David, grinding his teeth in anger as he pulled Snow close and pressed a kiss to her temple.

"I have a...witness that placed her in Storybrooke today," she continued, working up to the second part of what she needed to tell them. "I'm not sure exactly where she is right now, but she's made it here. And we need to do whatever is necessary to keep the town, and especially Henry safe."

"Of course," agreed David. "It's a little late, but I can still call an unofficial town council meeting. I'd say this would constitute an emergency."

Emma found herself almost grinning at her father for that. Even though Regina was still considered the mayor of Storybrooke, her parents were the ones who were seen as the true leaders of the town. Those who were her mother and father's most trusted advisors in the Enchanted Forest became what was known as Storybrooke's town council.

"A couple of things before you call up the war council," Emma joked, bracing herself for their reaction. "We need to call up Regina and talk to her about all this."

"It's for Henry's sake!" She growled as they started arguing with her about the evil queen. "Look, we know Cora's here to try and do some twisted mother daughter bonding, and I'll bet she isn't above using Henry to do it. Problem is, she thinks love is weakness and the only thing Regina loves is Henry. The last time Regina loved anyone, Cora..."

The words caught in Emma's throat as she recalled what her mother told her about what had happened to Daniel. She couldn't, wouldn't _ever_ let that happen to Henry.

"Henry says that Regina is trying really hard to change, and I believe him," Emma continued. "She did put herself at risk to save us at the well, and okay she did work with Gold to put that deadly shield over it, but she did the right thing in the end. And we need her help to keep Henry safe."

"You're right, we need all the help we can get," her father conceded. "How are we going to tell her about Cora?"

"Leave that to me," Emma nodded. "I'll give her a call in a sec, but there's one more thing I need to tell you first."

"There's more?" Snow groaned before taking a deep breath and steeling herself for whatever Emma had to say.

"It's not bad news," she tried to claim convincingly, but her words sounded more like a question in her ears. She could tell by the looks on her parents faces that they weren't buying it.

"No, really, this is a good thing!" She said with more enthusiasm as she pictured Hook waiting for her.

Waiting in the hall for her signal, she corrected herself.

"I've found someone who is willing to help us fight Cora," she declared. "And like you said David, we need all the help we can get, right?"

"Just, promise you'll hear him out before either of you throw any punches?" Emma pleaded, biting her lip anxiously.

Before they could question her about their new supposed ally, Emma went to open the door and beacon someone in.

To their shock, Captain Hook strode into their loft smirking smugly as he seemed to be assessing their accommodations before he turned to David and Snow.

"Majesties," he nodded in greeting. "You're in luck as I am here to offer-"

Both David and Emma watched in shock as Snow levelled him with a punch to the jaw, causing Hook to swear profusely as he stumbled backwards.

"Bloody hell, now I know where you got your fighting skills from lass." He laughed, flexing his jaw.

"Mary Margaret, what the hell?!" Emma exclaimed in surprise, scrambling to Hook's side.

"Nice right hook Sweetheart! Is it my turn now?" Asked David with a smirk.

"I see you've inherited your sense of humour from your father." Hook added dryly.

"Can we please act like adults and talk without using our fists?" Sighed Emma, taking Hook's face in her hands to inspect the damage her mother had done.

"You brought Cora here didn't you?" Snow demanded, shaking off the hand that made the contact against Hook's face. "You bastard! Stay the hell away from my daughter! You took poor sweet Aurora's heart and used it to help Cora manipulate her and us! You tried to kill my daughter!"

"Cora brought me here, not the other way around. And if I had tried to kill your daughter, she'd not be alive right now," Hook snarled, reluctantly allowing Emma to take a look at the part of his jaw that her mother left an impressive bruise on. "Think on that carefully, your highness. Imagine someone with the reputation that I have earned, along with over 3 centuries of experience fighting against the most ruthless pirates and criminals you'd never want to meet, only to be bested by a woman who wields a sword as if it were a club? Besides, I was the one who saved that simpering princess' heart from falling into the portal-during a sword fight with your daughter I might add."

"He's telling the truth," she said, shocking her parents and surprising herself. She had always wondered about that fight, and yeah he seemed more into flirting than anything, and maybe he underestimated her, but after 300 years of using a sword you'd think using it against your enemies would be like breathing. He could've killed her without a second thought. She had only picked up a sword twice in her life, and even with luck on her side and some inherited talent there was really no way she could have beat him unless he threw the fight. But why the hell would he do such a thing? Emma was starting to realize that she might have misjudged Hook, and there was much more to the pirate than she thought. That realization both scared the crap out of her and intrigued her.

"Do you honestly believe him?" Asked David incredulously, looking as though he wanted to take a swing at Hook as well.

"Yes, I do," Emma said with quiet conviction. Something happened in the moment after she realized he threw the fight for her. She could almost hear the clicking in her brain-that this whole time, for reasons she found too terrifying at this point to examine any deeper, that he was somehow on her side, always. He may have done some really idiotic, practically unforgivable things, and he might be an annoying son of a bitch, but he seemed to continuously find a way to her. He could have gone to Storybrooke with Cora first, ensuring that he'd get his chance at Rumplestiltskin without interference from her, but he threw the fight. He could have helped Cora in exchange for his most hated enemy's head on a platter, but instead he showed up in front of her apartment to offer his help, and a way to get her to trust him by making an unbelievable leap of faith.

"Not only do I believe him," Emma took a deep breath before she said the words she couldn't believe she was about to say. "I trust him."

**Additional A/N: I know that Snow might have seemed a little OOC, but I kinda saw it as her being all Mama bear on Killian because of both Emma and Aurora. Of course, his arrogance didn't help. And I thought it would have been fun to have her swing at Hook instead of Charming.**


	6. I'll Stand By You

**A/N: Good news is I have the ending and a short sequel planned. Bad news is I still have to write the parts that lead up to it. Ideas are starting to flow with this story now, hopefully I will be able to update quicker (as long as my muse cooperates)**

**disclaimer: ONCE UPON A TIME and its characters are owned by the lucky bastards at ABC network and evil geniuses Edward Kitsis, and Adam Horowitz. The twisted imagination that brings you this purely for entertainment fic is mine.**

**I'll Stand By You**

**I'll stand by you, won't let nobody hurt you...**

The silence following her statement virtually crackled with tension as they all stared at her.

Yes she trusted Hook, maybe she had trusted him all this time although she had fought tooth and nail against it. But there you have it, she trusted him more than her survivalist in her head told her to. She was learning to trust her gut more and more and it was telling her, pleading with her, and screaming at her that this pirate, despite his reputation, despite what he had done was on her side. Besides, if he double crossed her, he'd have her whole family and her to deal with, and he was smart enough to try and avoid that.

She looked around the room and the expressions on the faces of her parents and Hook's were so comical that if it weren't for the situation they were facing she would have fallen to the floor laughing. Seriously, she could have played skee ball with their open mouths. You would have thought that she had just told them that she planned to marry the pirate-not that she was.

Damn, why the hell did that thought pop into her head, she wondered.

As if he read her thoughts, the pirate's look of surprise morphed into a smirk

"I knew you liked me." He grinned, turning to her and taking a step closer.

"Stay away from my daughter pirate," growled David, curling his hands into fists. "Don't make me go and get my gun."

"So much for acting like adults." Grumbled Emma, crossing her arms and glaring at her father and Hook.

"I apologize Captain," Mary Margaret said hesitantly, a strange expression on her face, as if she was trying to convince herself that something that just occurred to her can't possibly be true. "I shouldn't have hit you. My daughter trusts you enough to invite you here to speak with us and ally herself with you, I should have given you both the chance to speak before I reacted in such a childish manner."

"Thank you Milady," Hook replied graciously, giving Snow a short bow. "You apology is accepted. However, if you wish to-"

"Don't," Emma hissed curtly. "Don't finish that thought or else I will let my father hit you."

"I was merely going to say-" Hook pressed, eyes wide with feigned innocence, his grin bursting with amusement. He loved every time he was able to get a rise out of Emma, and he was beginning to see that angering the prince was going to become one of his favourite pastimes.

"Not gonna tell you again," warned Emma. "Stop it with the innuendo, especially with my mother."

"As you wish Swan," he agreed with a smirk. "I shall only flirt with you from now on."

"That's not what I-" Emma sputtered, her face reddening.

"Open book love," he chuckled, cutting her off. "No need to argue it. Besides, don't you have an Evil Queen to contact?"

"Alright," she grumbled, reaching for the cell phone in her jacket pocket. "Just a friendly bit of advice, keep your mouth shut and don't give my dad a reason to hit you while I talk to Regina."

"I shall suffer your absence in silence." Hook smiled.

"I'd like for him to suffer more than your silence." David muttered.

"David, behave!" Emma ordered, dialling Regina's number and quickly telling her that she needed to get to the loft as quickly as she could, and to cast some sort of spell so that someone using magic couldn't track her or uncover her whereabouts. Before she even hit the end button, a purple puff of smoke appeared in the middle of the living room. When the smoke vanished, Regina was there looking fairly panicked.

"What happened? Is Henry okay?" She rushed, searching the room with her eyes for anything amiss, when she spotted Hook.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Regina growled, purple smoke surrounding her fingertips. With a casual wave of her hand, Killian flew backwards into a wall, colliding against it with a heavy thud before falling to the ground.

"Is he why you called? Has he-" demanded Regina, stalking towards Killian.

"Regina stop!" Ordered Emma, standing in front of Hook defensively. "He isn't here to hurt Henry. He's on my...our side. He came to warn us about Cora and to help us fight her."

"You are aware that he most likely came here with my mother and is working with her," replied Regina haughtily. "Honestly Miss Swan, I would have thought you would be the last person who would be weak enough to succumb to his charms."

"He isn't working with Cora," Emma said confidently as she helped him up. "I'm sure of it."

She exchanged a look with Killian, letting him know that she meant what she said, and she was felt herself nearly drowning in the depth of gratitude shining in his eyes for her. She felt a slight blush creep over her features and for a moment she forgot that the room was occupied by more than just her and Killian. He gave her a full, genuine smile-not a salacious smirk, or mischievous grin, but an honest to goodness, heartwarming, wall crumbling smile. And she wasn't sure whether it intrigued her more or terrified her.

Before she could further examine the answer to that question, she heard Regina snort derisively.

"Don't tell me the two of you are buying this?" Scoffed Regina, motioning between Emma and Hook.

"Emma says she trusts him, and we trust Emma." Snow replied, nodding decisively. Emma smiled warmly at her mother, thanking her silently for her support.

Charming however, didn't seem quite as convinced.

"Seriously Snow?" David sputtered, at a loss to explain what he was hearing. "I mean, yeah of course we trust our daughter, but Hook? He's a filthy, good for nothing-"

"Oi, I'm standing right in front of you mate!" Killian snapped, glaring at David.

"Good for nothing pirate," David continued, staring daggers right back at Killian. "Snow, you're the one who told me that he lied to you guys from the get go, trying to play innocent blacksmith to get close to you guys so that he could spy on you for Cora. If it weren't for Emma using her lie detecting skills, he could have succeeded and you guys might not be here! You even said that it was a good thing that Emma left him up at the Giant's castle, that he must've done something to her but she was strong enough and smart enough to trap him there."

Emma shot Killian another look of apology, and he responded with a quiet sigh, a quirk of his lips, and a slight shake of his head. She replied with a tight smile and a nod, neither Emma nor Killian seemed to notice Snow watching them.

"I may have misinterpreted the situation David," she muttered with a shrug. "Besides, I wasn't there. I have no idea what really happened."

"I have no idea what transpired between them either, but I am aware of Miss Swan's trust issues," replied Regina coldly, her eyes darkening. "And I find it rather out of character for her to place such trust in someone so quickly."

"Almost as if you've had a change of heart." Regina sneered before plunging her hand into Emma's chest. "Question is, is this change genuine or are Hook and my mother controlling it?"

Before her parents had the chance to react, before Emma even had the chance to register the fact that this was the second time someone who wasn't a surgeon stuck their hand in her chest in the same week, Killian was already behind Regina, one arm around her torso and the point of his hook pressed against her jugular.

"I'd advise you to release Emma's heart and remove your hand from her chest now," he snarled darkly, his voice deep and rich and deceptively calm. "Or else I'll rip your throat out before I rip your heart out with my hook.

"Tick tock majesty," he hissed, pressing his hook harder into the soft flesh of her neck. "What'll it be?"


End file.
